Flooring device



April 28, 1953 B. T. FUDGE 2,636,716

FLOORING DEVICE Filed Aug. 18. 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET l 'ig 3H5 6% Y 56 Brian 71 Fudge INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOORING DEVICE Brian T. Fudge, Blanco, Tex.

Application August 18, 1949, Serial No. 110,943

2 Claims. (Cl. 254-13) This invention relates to acticle holding devices and more particularly pertains to a carpenters tool of the type used in laying flooring, siding or the like that clamps to a sill or other suitable support and by which flooring is urged into the position to be nailed.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a holder of this character that may be used to position boards on undersurfaces and vertical walls as well as top surfaces for nailing the same.

Another important object in accordance with the foregoing object is to provide a holder by which the boards to be secured are guidingly supported by the holders as they are urged into the desired position for assembly, and in which the supporting structure of the holder does not interfere with the nailing operation of boards having special features, such as tongue and groove joints.

Further objects are to provide a holder that will not slip from the supporting structure, and that will be simple and inexpensive in construction yet highly efficient for the purposes intended.

These, together with Various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds or attained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only on the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the invention showing the same clamped to a sill and holding flooring in position to be nailed;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the invention taken substantially upon the plane of the section line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the invention, showing the same as applied in Figure 2 as from the left side of Figure 2, parts being shown in section; and,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of the invention taken upon the plane of the section line 5-5 of Figure 1 and illustrates particularly the slide construction.

Reference is now made more specifically tothe accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various parts, and in which the numeral l0 indicates the carpenter tool generally.

The frame of the tool I0 is generally L-shaped and comprises a horizontal leg portion including a pair of horizontal, parallel angle irons 12, which are connected and spaced by a cross member or angle iron [2 to which they are welded or otherwise secured. The L-shaped frame also includes a depending or vertical leg portion formed of legs 16 and I8 which depend from and are suitably secured to the angle iron I4. The frame members I2, l4, I6 and I8 are illustrated as being angle irons welded together, and this is the preferred construction as the materials are easy to obtain, and when welded together lend great strength to the frame.

The legs Hi and it! are for the purpose of straddling a sill and are provided with means whereby a sill may be clamped securely therebetween. These means consist of a threaded bolt Zil which extends through and threadingly engages the leg l6 and an annular base 22 on the leg It. The bolt 2% is provided with'a handle it, whereby the bolt 21] may be turned to force a sill 26 against the leg 8. The leg I8 is provided with an inturned spur or knife edge 28, which is adapted to penetrate the sill 26 upon the bolt 20 being tightened and thus act in conjunction with bolt 20 to hold the sill securely between the legs I6 and It. The knife edge 28 is easily formed by bending an edge of the leg and sharpening it, and functions in a manner similar to the climbers used by linesmen on wooden poles. This feature makes slipping of the legs l6 and I8 on a wooden sill 2t impossible.

The legs of each of the angles l2 constitute guide bars 30 for the slide or clamping member 32. The slide 32 is the part of the tool ID that is used to urge planks 34 into position for nailing to the sill 26. The slide 32 comprises an angle member having legs 36 and 38. As best shown in Figures 1, 3 and 5, a strip 40 having a downturned flange 42 for an intermediate portion of the length of the strip 40 is suitably secured to the leg 36. The arrangement is such that slots 44 are formed in the slide 32 for slidably receiving the guide bars 3!]. Thus it will be seen that the slide is slidable on the guide bars 3|] and is guided thereby.

To control the movement of the slide 32, a bracket 46 is secured to the slide 32 having an aperture 48. A threaded rod or bolt 50 threadingly extended through the angle iron M, a boss 52 secured to the angle I4, and has a reduced inner end journaled in the bracket aperture 48. The bolt 50 being retained through the bracket 46 by a nut 54. The outer end of the bolt is preferably equipped with a conventional sliding handle 56 for enabling the operator to easily manipulate the bolt 50 in a cramped space to readily move the slide 32.

The strip 40 and the leg 36 are preferably formed with registering apertures 58, through which nails may be readily driven or started into the very end or tongue 56 of planks 34 as may be seen in Figure 3. As the apertures 58 are spaced, they may be conveniently sized so as to constitute a guide for nails into the planks.

It will be readily appreciated that the tool may be used on an undersurface as well as top surfaces. In each case the cross member l4 and the leg 38 ;positionthe leg 36 so, that a planlcmay be receive'd'between'the'sill and the leg 36 prior to the frame being clamped to the sill. It is to be noted that in working on ceilings or undersurfaces that after the tool ll] is clampedi tora sill the guide bars 30 in conjunction with the leg 36 will support planks as the bolt is being'tight ened. 1 a

The operator may tighten the bat to as tight as he desires, which is considerable when usingwarped lumber, withoutitt'he tool l0 slipping on the-sill-becauserofthe, locking of the. knife .edge

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A flooring device for attachment to a flooring sill to position one piece of flooring against another on the sill, said device comprising a pair of horizontal laterally spaced angle irons overlapping the flooring, a transverse bar cross connecting corresponding ends of said angle irons and depending therefrom for slidably seating on the sill to hold said angle irons parallel with the flooring, a pair of legs depending from opposite endS vO f'jS Zid transverse bar: for straddling the sillraclamping screw threaded through one of said legs and coacting with the other leg to clamp said sill therebetween for holding said angle irons stationary, an angle iron clamping bar slidably mounted at its ends on said angle irons"tra'nsverse thereto for engaging over one edge of the piece of flooring to be positioned, and manipulative means operatively connected to said transverse bar and said clamping bar for sliding said clamping bar against the piece of flooring to be positioned; V 1

2.A flooring devicehaccording to claimrl said clamping bar having a center opening therein for driving nails therethrough into the piece of fiooringvwhen imposition. ,y

BRIAN THFUDGEJ.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS France Jan. 31, 1927 

